A smoky fire was burning Friday in a 100-foot-high pile of furniture, refrigerators and other hurricane debris in the city's hard-hit Lower Ninth Ward. The fire, reported late Thursday, covered about 4.6 acres and was largely under control, firefighters said. They were dropping water from helicopters and planned to let the blaze burn itself out. ... http://www.usatoday.com

A group of Hispanic inmates at San Quentin, California's oldest and most famous prison, briefly rioted in a dining hall incident that left 25 injured, a spokesman said on Friday. Sgt. Eric Messick said the incident occurred as a group of inmates in the general reception area began beating others during the evening mealtime on Thursday."Preliminary information suggests that it was because of an act of disrespect that occurred," he said....http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/rids/20060113/i/r1231636575.jpg?x=180&y=101&sig=nqvNrNLutDzmLyvL5sMFpA--

A U.S. Army reconnaissance helicopter went down in the northern city of Mosul Friday, killing its two pilots, and a senior officer said it may have been shot down. The armed OH-58 Kiowa was on a combat air patrol with another Kiowa when it went down. Lt. Gen. John Vines, chief of the Multi-National Corps Iraq, told Pentagon reporters that there were indications the crash was due to hostile fire. Soldiers on the ground had said there was some firing in the area when it crashed....http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1503348

Bush has rejected criticism over the Guantanamo Bay camp raised by German Chancellor Angela Merkel during talks in Washington. President Bush said it was a necessary part of protecting the American people. But the two leaders presented a united front over Iran resuming its nuclear programme, and commentators said they appeared to have got on well. It is her first official US visit since her election which, Mr Bush joked, much like his own, was not a landslide win. The two leaders discussed a range of subjects - from the Balkans and the Middle East to the Iraq war - which had strained relations between the US and Germany in recent years. "We openly addressed that there sometimes have been differences of opinion, and I mentioned Guantanamo in this respect," Ms Merkel told the press conference afterwards. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4610872.stm

On Jan. 14, 1784, the United States Ratified a Peace Treaty With England, Ending the Revolutionary War. Jan 13, 2006 — Today is Saturday, Jan. 14, the 14th day of 2006. There are 351 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Jan. 14, 1784, the United States ratified a peace treaty with England, ending the Revolutionary War. On this date: In 1639, the first constitution of Connecticut the "Fundamental Orders" was adopted. ...http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1504272

Since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in August, evacuees have lived in shelters, trailers and hotels, desperate for long-term housing. ABC News has learned that housing that could have been provided almost immediately to those displaced was instead tied up in bureacractic red tape. Brazella Briscoe of New Orleans has resided in a cramped hotel room with his wife and son for months. "If you were on vacation, this would be lovely — like I said, the people are absolutely wonderful — but living here is another situation," he said. Two weeks after Katrina hit, ABC News has learned, the Department of Veterans Affairs offered the Federal Emergency Management Agency 7,000 government-owned, single-family homes. But those houses sat empty for three months while bureaucrats squabbled over paperwork. All the Bureaucrats where nice and comfortable while this was going on. Maybe they will get a pay raise and a good report for excelling in Bureaucracy above the call of duty...http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/HurricaneKatrina/story?id=1503846&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312